CFC Webinar explains how parents and teachers can take advantage of recent legal victories that restore parental authority and protect teachers’ freedom of conscience.
For years, many parents and teachers across California have felt increasingly sidelined, caught in a public education system that often seemed more responsive to political ideology than to constitutional freedoms or parental authority.
But something has changed.
In recent months, a series of legal victories, culminating in landmark decisions like Mahmoud v. Taylor and Mirabelli v. Olson, have begun to restore what had been eroded: the fundamental rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children, and the freedom of teachers to live and work according to their deeply held convictions.
Now, California Family Council is inviting parents and educators alike to understand these pivotal changes and how to act on them.
On Monday, April 13, from 7:00–8:00 p.m., CFC will host a critical online webinar: “Rights Restored: What Recent Court Decisions Mean for Parents & Teachers.” Featuring constitutional attorneys and legal experts from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the National Center for Law & Policy (NCLP), and Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), this one-hour Zoom event will equip participants with both clarity and courage in a rapidly shifting legal landscape.
A Turning Tide for Parental Rights
For decades, parents have voiced concern over the growing influence of ideological instruction in public schools, particularly around issues of gender identity and sexuality. In California, the law previously allowed parents to opt their children out of limited sex education instruction, but not from broader curriculum promoting sexual orientation or gender identity ideology. Even parents of young children in elementary school, including kindergarteners, were often denied the ability to shield their children from content that conflicted with their deeply held religious beliefs. Schools also had policies authorizing the social ‘gender’ transition of minor children without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
That has now changed.
In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that the Constitution protects not just a narrow category of parental rights, but the broader, fundamental right of parents, not the state, to direct the upbringing and religious formation of their children. The Court affirmed that when public schools introduce instruction that touches on matters of sexuality, identity, and other religious beliefs, parents must be given meaningful notice and the opportunity to opt their children out.
In other words, the state cannot compel children to be exposed to ideologies that undermine the religious convictions of their families, nor can it sideline parents as the primary educators of their children.
This ruling restores a critical balance: schools may educate, but they cannot indoctrinate at the expense of parental authority and religious faith.
As Scripture reminds us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, ESV). That God-given responsibility belongs to parents, not the state, and the Court has now reaffirmed it.
Through this webinar, parents will learn practical steps to exercise these restored rights, including how to request notification of sensitive content and formally opt their children out of instruction that conflicts with their faith.
Teachers: Not Alone, Not Without Rights
At the same time, teachers, especially those of faith, have often faced a different kind of pressure: being required to affirm ideologies that contradict their beliefs or participate in training programs that violate their conscience.
California’s controversial PRISM training mandate is one such example. Marketed as “cultural competency,” it has required educators to engage in and affirm content that directly conflicts with biblical teaching on human sexuality.
But the Mirabelli case has drawn a constitutional line in the sand.
On May 2, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court found that parents were likely to prevail against school policies mandating the secret at-school social transitioning of minor children, unless the student consents to parental notification. The High Court found that such policies violate the First Amendment right of parents to pass on their religious faith to their children, pursuant to Mahmoud v. Taylor. Also, such policies violate the Fourteenth Amendment right of parents to direct the care and education of their children, including making important mental health decisions.
Also, in Mahmoud, a U.S. District Court judge reaffirmed that public school teachers do not lose their First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion simply because they work for the government. Specifically, regarding the constitutional rights of parents, teachers cannot be compelled to lie to or keep secrets from parents, nor to speak messages they do not believe. Neither can they be forced to participate in policies that violate their conscience. Constitutional attorneys believe these teachers’ rights will ultimately be upheld. Significantly, the permanent statewide injunction in Mirabelli requires the state to notify parents and teachers of their constitutional rights regarding gender incongruence and to remind state schools that these rights are not superseded by any state laws, including a student’s right to privacy.
Importantly, this decision also reinforces the right of teachers to request reasonable religious accommodations under federal and state law. This means:
- Teachers cannot be forced to use pronouns that conflict with their religious beliefs.
- They cannot be required to refer to a student as a different sex or gender contrary to biological reality.
- They cannot be compelled to deceive or withhold information from parents about a child’s gender identity at school.
- And they cannot be forced to participate in ideological training programs like PRISM if doing so violates their sincerely held religious convictions.
Under Title VII and California law, school districts are required to accommodate these religious beliefs unless doing so would impose an undue hardship, a standard that courts have made clear is not easily met.
This webinar will give teachers the legal clarity and practical tools they need to stand firm without fear and faithfully live out their convictions in the classroom.
Meet the Experts
Attendees will hear directly from leading constitutional advocates who have been at the forefront of these battles:
- Dean Broyles, President of the National Center for Law & Policy, brings decades of experience defending parental rights and religious liberty in education.
- Kate Anderson, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom and Director of the Center for Parental Rights, has litigated major cases protecting families from government overreach.
- Michael Peffer, Senior Counsel at Pacific Justice Institute, has spent years defending churches, schools, and individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened.
Together, these experts will break down complex legal rulings into practical, actionable steps for everyday Californians.
From Awareness to Action
This webinar is not just about information; it’s about empowerment.
For too long, many parents and teachers have felt isolated or unsure of their rights. But as these recent decisions demonstrate, the tide is turning. The Constitution still matters. And the rights it protects, especially those grounded in the First Amendment, remain a powerful shield against government overreach.
California Family Council continues its mission of equipping believers to engage faithfully in the public square, advancing God’s design for life, family, and liberty.
Join the Movement
If you are a parent concerned about what your child is being taught…
If you are a teacher navigating increasing pressure to compromise your beliefs…
If you care about restoring truth, transparency, and freedom in California’s schools…
Then this webinar is for you.
Date: Monday, April 13
Time: 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom: Register Here…
As Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, ESV).
This is a moment to stand, to learn, and to act.
And it starts with understanding your rights, now restored.
